The Mandalorian 2.8 Review - 6 Ups And 3 Downs From Chapter 16

Season 2 of The Mandalorian ends (mostly) on a high, but with a few niggling questions unanswered.

by Ewan Paterson
Mandalorian Chapter 16 Dark Trooper
Lucasfilm

It's finally here. Season 2 of The Mandalorian finally came to a close with Chapter 16, with Jon Favreau once again handling writing duties and Peyton Reed returning to direct. Having spent the week living in fear of something bad happening - given Star Wars likes to do that with its sequels' endings - I can certainly say it kept me in suspense. (And fear - that's important too.)

Chapter 16, or The Rescue, starts with Din and Cara Dune intercepting Doctor Pershing before they recruit Bo-Katan and Koska Reeves to add to their rescue party. The band make it to Gideon's light cruiser (well... duh), and the end result is a mostly satisfying conclusion to The Mandalorian's second season - one that packs an emotional wallop at that.

But there were a few things here and there that left quite a lot to be desired, and it means the sophomore season ends on a slightly weird note. Those looking for a definitive and satisfying conclusion will be pleased, but between some dodgy action, weird characterisations and a slightly dissonant note to end on, this isn't quite the home run that previous episodes set up.

It's still a strong chapter overall, but one that's also potentially a little too self indulgent.

MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!

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Content Producer/Presenter

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.